Politics
Megyn Kelly Reveals What Chris Christie Said During Debate Confrontation: ‘He Was Pissed Off’
Megyn Kelly revealed the details of a behind-the-scenes spat with Chris Christie during Wednesday night’s GOP presidential debate.
A video clip of their interaction which has since gone viral shows the former New Jersey governor in a heated discussion with the SiriusXM host, though the clip, taken by an audience member, does not contain what was being said.
According to Kelly, the thin-skinned Trump critic was apoplectic that he wasn’t being awarded enough speaking time or questions.
“He was pissed off. He was mad that he wasn’t getting enough questions and he said, ‘you know, I made it up on this stage and I haven’t been able to speak in a while and, you know, I should’ve been brought in on that last debate.’ And you know, I had a couple minds of it. I said ‘we’re coming to you. You’re gonna be happy in the second hour,’ which I lived up to,” Kelly said during “The Megyn Kelly Show” on Thursday, according to The Daily Caller.
The former Fox News host won plaudits for volleying pointed and uncomfortable questions at each of the candidates, a stark contrast with previous presidential debate moderators who struggled to rein in the motley participants or even remember their own names. When Christie told Kelly he felt “excluded” during an open-ended bickering among the four candidates, she told him he was scheduled to get another question about President Trump’s immigration policies and added that his low-polling numbers prohibited her from giving him equal questions compared to his more competitive rivals.
“He’s polling at two percent, okay? In no debate ever, and I’ve now done six of them, have we given as many questions to the guy who’s at three percent as to the person who’s in the lead, at least amongst the candidates on the stage. I’m sorry, Governor Christie, that’s the way it is,” Kelly continued.
Despite the differences in polling, she said, Christie was able to earn himself nearly equivalent speaking time with Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor and U.N. ambassador who has shot up to pole position within anti-Trump circles. Ramaswamy got 22 minutes, followed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis with 21, Haley with 17, and Christie with 16 minutes and 52 seconds, CNN reported.
Kelly wasn’t the only target of Christie’s ire that night. He was ruthlessly booed by the audience for suggesting that President Trump would be unable to vote for himself as a convicted felon. During a contentious and personal exchange with Vivek Ramaswamy, his rival drew blood by suggesting the former governor “go enjoy a nice meal” and retire from politics.